


Wish It More

by the_changeling



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:08:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23243023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_changeling/pseuds/the_changeling
Summary: "Soobin pulled Yeonjun's coat tighter around himself and decided that there was more to birthday wishes than he thought."Yeonjun and Soobin seem to think they need to use birthday wishes to make their dreams come true.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 26
Kudos: 92





	1. Yeonjun's Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends! Please enjoy my first attempt at a chaptered fic :)

Yeonjun was sulking. “Hyung, it's your birthday party. You should be having fun, not sulking in the kitchen!”

“Surely my own party is the most valid time to sulk.”

“You're such a drama queen.” Yeonjun gasped loudly and cut Beomgyu a withering glare. Beomgyu merely raised his eyebrows in response. 

“Whatever. I just wanted to look nice on my birthday, is that so much to ask?” 

Beomgyu let out a resigned sigh. “For the last time, no one is going to notice the stain. And they certainly won't think that if there is a stain that it looks... questionable in nature. If you're worried, just hold your drink in front of it – yeah like that- and voila!”

“Okay. Okay! I can do that. I'll just stand in a cool, slouchy way and hold my drink like that. Everyone will be distracted by how sexy I look to notice anyway!”

“Notice what?” They must have been gone from the party so long Taehyun had come to find them. Yeonjun immediately assumed his new pose. If he could fool Taehyun, he could fool anybody. “Hyung, why are you standing weird? Is it to hide that suspicious stain? Seriously, it's still early, surely you haven't had time to find someone to...” Taehyun trailed off at Beomgyu's wild gesturing. Yeonjun couldn't stop his face from falling. “Oh. Oh no, hyung, it's really not that noticeable. I know you weren't doing anything. I was just teasing.”

Yeonjun immediately starting sulking again “Yeah but if you noticed then Soo-, uh, somebody else might notice.” 

“Somebody else, or someone specifically? Because it sounded like you were going to say Soobin.” Yeonjun narrowed his eyes at Taehyun. This was not the conversation he wanted to have right now. 

He knew he sounded ridiculous making such a big deal over a small, and yes, somewhat questionable looking stain, but he had a plan on how he wanted the night to go. It was going to be a perfect birthday. He was going to turn up fashionably late to the party and everybody would swoon over how handsome he looked (he didn't spend two hours getting ready for nothing), Soobin would take one look at him and finally fall in love, they would hold hands and kiss. He even wore shoes with a platform just in case. He was getting butterflies from just thinking about it. But instead when he turned up to his party fashionably late most people were already too drunk to notice, he stained his pants and Soobin isn't even here. 

“Pffft it's not like he even bothered to turn up to notice,” It seems like sulking was going to be his default state for tonight. Beomgyu and Taehyun exchanged a look, finally understanding it was less about Yeonjun's ruined outfit and more about the fact Soobin had continued his tradition of being late to everything, constantly. 

“Yeonjun-hyung, you know how slow he is. He hasn't been on time for anything in his life. Ever! He'll be here before you know it.”

“You know what will help? If we go back to the party! It's dark in there and if you're dancing then there's no way anyone will notice!”

“Oh yeah! That's way better than the dumb drink thing I made up.” Yeonjun huffed and half-heartedly shoved Beomgyu. 

“I knew you were just teasing!” Beomgyu stuck out his tongue. “I'll only dance if we put on SZA.”

“Deal!” Beomgyu grabbed Yeonjun by both hands and dragged him back into the party. 

Taehyun was right. Being back amongst everyone in the dim lighting did help. As he drifted around the makeshift dance floor he was stopped by almost everyone wanting to wish him a happy birthday, plenty of people complimented his outfit and he got to dance. Any time he got to dance was a good time. He caught eyes with Beomgyu as he was twirling around a mostly stationary Taehyun and couldn't help but smile. It was his birthday and he was having fun. Beomgyu's blinding smile back told him he was thinking the same thing. 

~

“Hyung. HYUNG. This always happens. You'd think you'd get over it the first time, but no, Yeonjun smiles and all of a sudden it's like no one else is in the room. I could be saying anything right now and you'd have no idea. Soobin-hyung stinks. Huh. Still nothing. Soobin is a big, dumb idiot”

“HEY!”

“Oh hey hyung, glad you're back with me.”

“Sorry, I didn't mean to stop listening. I was just pleased he looks like he's enjoying himself for his birthday.

“Hyung. Can't you just tell him that, or I dunno, confess? Just spit-balling some ideas here.” Soobin laughed and looked down nervously. He had been day-dreaming about coming to this party and doing exactly that. Well, at least doing something.

He had imagined flinging the door open dramatically, marching right up to Yeonjun and kissing him senseless. He had imagined spotting each other through a crowded dance floor and slowly dancing closer and closer together. He had imagined stealing a quiet moment with Yeonjun to give him his gift and the soft smile he'd get in return. How it would feel to lean forward and just kiss him. Instead he spent two hours meticulously folding a complicated origami fox only to accidentally sit on it five minutes later, spent fifteen minutes on a panicked phone call to Kai to cry about it and then wound up very late to the one event he wanted to be on time for.

Soobin didn't comment any further and instead looked back towards to dance floor. A circle of party-goers had been gravitating around Yeonjun, clearly intent in drowning him in well-wishes for his birthday. Soobin found himself filling with warmth. He knew Yeonjun had been looking forward to this party and would be revelling in the attention. He had been muttering about it last week when they were studying together and Taehyun had complained more than once of Yeonjun emptying his closet onto the floor in a frenzied attempt at finding the perfect outfit. Soobin thought the outfit he ended up choosing was perfect. A devastating combination of tight black jeans, a simple black t-shirt (the exact type of sexy-chic Yeonjun loved to go for and that Soobin loved to look at) and a fluffy, black cropped jacket which Soobin very much wanted to pet. It was perfect. He was perfect. Although Soobin could admit he was a little biased. Yeonjun could turn up wrapped in tinfoil and he'd still think he was the most perfect person in the room.

He finally turned back to Kai. “Come on, let's go say hi to hyung before he gets too upset about how late we are.” Soobin gently pushed his way through the increasingly crowded dance floor, pausing to steady someone who danced a little too hard. As he was turning back towards the centre of the room his eyes landed on Yeonjun who was pouting aggressively at him. Soobin couldn't quite keep the smile off his face as he made his way towards him. The didn't break eye-contact once, and by the end Soobin's face had lit up to a full-blown smile. 

Yeonjun tried his best to keep pouting (it was important Soobin knew he was sulking!), but he knew it was scientifically impossible not to smile back when Choi Soobin looked at you like that. They paused for a second, smiling at each other before a very excited Kai threw himself at Yeonjun and yelled slightly louder than necessary “Happy birthday hyung! Sorry we're late.”

“Hmmph. Dance with me and maybe I'll consider forgiving you.” Yeonjun said, as if Kai needed any incentive to dance. Soobin was usually content to sit and watch his friends dance and was planning on returning to the corner, but before he could even consider it he felt Yeonjun's hand clamp around his wrist. 

“No.” Soobin raised his eyebrows. “ Soobinie, it's my birthday, you have to dance with me. It's the law.” Soobin's lip twitched. 

“Well, if it's a law, then I better do it.” He knew it was worth it by the happy bouncing he got in response. They danced as a group, trying to one-up each other's moves and pull-off increasingly more complicated sequences but it inevitably ended as all their dance-offs do – with Yeonjun very clearly winning. After that it devolved into terrible moves delivered with the intention of making each other laugh. 

Since Soobin has joined them, Yeonjun felt much more at ease with his evening. Sure it wasn't turning out the way he had day-dreamed, but he was far more calm and centered knowing that Soobin was here with him. He looked over at Soobin who was immersed in executing a synchronised dance with Kai. He wasn't sure if it was Soobin's flailing noodle arms or his ridiculous seal laugh, or maybe a combination of both, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling. Soobin had a way of exuding warmth in everything he did that never failed to floor him. Yeonjun was nothing but a simple moth drawn to the bright, steady light Soobin emitted. He must have been staring too long because Soobin looked over at him, head tilted in question. Belatedly Yeonjun realised he still should be milking the sulking angle and quickly formed an exaggerated pout. Soobin only rolled his eyes.

“Soobinie, it's my birthday and you were late to my party. Go and get me another drink.” Soobin nodded without any protest and started making his way towards the kitchen. A few seconds later he felt someone latch onto his arm to follow him through the crowd. Turning slightly he found a still pouting Yeonjun tagging along. 

“Doesn't it defeat the purpose of me getting you a drink if you come with me?”

“It's my birthday, I can go anywhere I want.” Yeonjun pouted even harder, if that was possible.

“You know I'd get you a drink anyway even if it wasn't your birthday right? You don't need to use that as an excuse.”

“But it IS my birthday and this is the only day of the year I can use it as an excuse!”

“Alright, alright! You can keep using your birthday to make me do stuff.” Soobin dragged him the rest of the way into the kitchen. 

As Yeonjun trailed after Soobin, Beomgyu quickly grabbed the other's attention. “Alright, it's time for Operation: Cake!”

“Yay!”

“I love the enthusiasm Kai! That's why I'm going to give you the most important job. You need to distract Yeonjun while Taehyun and I gather everybody to light the candles. Do you think you can do it?”

“Of course! Easy! I'll just tell him about how Soobin cried about ruining his present earlier!”

“WHAT?”

“Okay bye!”

Soobin didn't need to ask what Yeonjun was drinking, the fridge was filled with his favourite kind of beer. As he straightened out from grabbing a couple of bottles Yeonjun was running his hands through his hair. Yeonjun was the most handsome person he'd ever met, and he had learned to live with that, but there were times he found himself struck with how beautiful he was. The bright kitchen light was hitting his face just-so, and his head was tilted back, showing off his profile and neck. Soobin often was struck by the need to take his picture, but he knew the camera would never be able to do justice to how dazzling Yeonjun was. 

Yeonjun must have felt eyes on him as he turned to stare back with an intensity Soobin wasn't expecting. “What?” Yeonjun asked. It came out softer than he expected.

“Hyung is handsome, is all.” Soobin said and passed him the drink. 

Yeonjun was taken aback. It wasn't the first time Soobin had told him he was handsome, but there was just something about the way he says it. As if it's the most true thing he's ever said. When he says it, Yeonjun can believe it. It also never fails to leave him flustered. Usually he can come back with a jokingly cocky response, but right now he can't really do anything but blush and look down at his drink. Soobin apparently was not done, however. “Your outfit is so pretty tonight! I bet everyone died when they saw you. I love this jacket.” Soobin reached out to softly pet the front of the coat. “Oh! It's just as soft as it looks!” Yeonjun watched as Soobin's face scrunched up into a delighted smile. Yeonjun's lips parted in surprise at how gorgeous Soobin looked. Sometimes he couldn't quite believe someone like him was real, but here he was, petting his jacket with increasing enthusiasm. 

Before he was able to formulate a coherent sentence, Kai exploded into the kitchen with an unnecessarily loud “Yeonjun-hyung!” As he made his way over he paused, looking over Yeonjun's outfit before bursting into laughter. 

“You should probably check you've washed your clothes before you wear them to a party, hyung. It looks like you used those jeans as a cu-” Yeonjun cut Kai off by slapping a hand over his mouth and levelling him with one of his deadliest stares. Kai's eyes widened as he let out a muffled awkward laugh.

“What are you even talking about? Yeonjunie-hyung's outfit looks great!”

“Yes Huening Kai, my outfit looks great.” Yeonjun's death-stare was getting more intense by the second. Kai did have some sense of self-preservation so he hastily made sure to agree. “Of course it does. I was just kidding!”

“Hmmph,” was all Yeonjun responded with. He looked away and took a sip of his beer. Now Soobin would notice his ruined outfit. He probably had already noticed but was too nice to comment on it. He probably doesn't think he looks so handsome anymore. 

Kai could see Yeonjun's rapidly falling face and scrambled to get the conversation back onto even ground. “Soobin-hyung cried about ruining your gift earlier!”

“What?!” Yeonjun's head whipped around to look at Soobin as he made a strangled sound.

“No, ha ha, no no, that's not true, that's... untrue...” Soobin trailed off lamely.

“What are you talking about? We spoke on the phone about it for fifteen minutes? That's why we were late, hyung” 

“What?” Yeonjun said again, still staring at Soobin.

Before he could get any sort of answer, an entire party's worth of people tried to pile into the kitchen at once, all singing the happy birthday song in different keys and timings. Beomgyu was holding out a cake that was dented on one side looking immensely pleased with himself. 

When Yeonjun was young, his birthdays were sacred. It was HIS day. It felt like he was the most important person in the world. The kids in class who normally ignored him said happy birthday, the teachers were extra nice and his parents always made time to make him feel special. But the part he always looked forward to the most was the cake. His mother explained to him at an early age that the best time to make a wish is right before you blow out the candles. You had to shut your eyes, wish really hard, and then maybe it would come true.

He has made a wish every year on his birthday, and most have come true in some fashion. When he was ten he wished for a brother, and a month later he met his new neighbour, Taehyun, who he has adored as a little brother since. When he was twelve he wished for a new bike and a week later his father brought home a bike given to him by a co-worker who no longer wanted it. When he was eighteen he wished he would get into his favourite university as a dance major and cried when he received his acceptance letter. Birthday wishes were sacred, not to be taken lightly. Even in a small kitchen at a college party Yeonjun squeezed his eyes shut to make a wish. 

Soobin felt like his heart might burst out of his chest. As expected, Yeonjun had closed his eyes to make a birthday wish, and then blown out the candles with the most determined look on his face. Sometimes he just can't contain how much fondness for Yeonjun he has in his heart. He figured it must have been a pretty important wish for Yeonjun to be so serious. 

Of course once he blew out the candles he was swarmed by the mass of people. There were plenty of hugs and back-slaps to keep him occupied for the next little while. The kitchen was far more crowded than he liked and the cake was going pretty much ignored at this point, the drunk college kids here were more invested in the impromptu dog-pile Yeonjun currently was at the bottom of. Figuring Yeonjun could deal with that himself, he saw his opportunity and took it. The cake that was. He grabbed the whole thing and walked off to find somewhere quiet to sit.

Soobin had set himself up in the study, and was contently eating cake and reading webtoons. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he received a slurry of messages from Beomgyu, who was clearly drunk. Figuring he better collect his drunk friends soon, he shoved an entirely too big piece of cake into his mouth. 

~

Yeonjun had given up on being subtle as he looked for Soobin and was now just walking around opening doors at random in the hopes he could find his hiding spot. He knew there was probably too many people at the party for him to be comfortable, so he expected him to be burrowed somewhere quiet. The party had collectively ticked over into the messy drunk phase, most of his friends included. He knew Beomgyu would be begging Soobin to help him home soon, so he was working against the clock here. He let out a victory sound when he found him nested on the floor in the study. Soobin had clearly just taken a impolitely large mouthful of cake, but when he looked up at Yeonjun his eyes turned into happy little crescents. Trust Soobin to make something that should be unattractive utterly endearing. 

Yeonjun sat down beside him and waited for him to finish eating before asking “Did you really cry because you ruined my birthday present?” Soobin paused, considering his answer.

“Yes.” He said simply. “Will you tell me what happened to your pants?”

Yeonjun sighed. “Fine. When I got here I saw my cake in the fridge and I opened the box to peek and accidentally dropped it. I tried to wipe if off but the cream coloured icing stained and it looks like, you know, and now everyone thinks I didn't bother changing pants after fooling around or something.” Soobin made a valiant effort trying not to laugh but couldn't hold it in. A little giggle escaped and escalated into a full on cackle. Yeonjun stared at him offended for a second before finding himself breaking into laughter too. 

“That's a very funny story, hyung. I didn't notice the stain though, and the other guys were just teasing!” Yeonjun smiled and looked down. He wasn't really upset any more. How could he be when he was basking in Soobin's gentle warmth? Most of the tension he'd been carrying all night had left his body. He wanted to spend the rest of the night like this. In a quiet bubble with Soobin, who has always been patient and gentle with him. Who has always been happy to share his quiet calm, even when he's met with cold, or with noise.

After a pause Soobin continued “I'm really sorry I couldn't give you a proper gift.” Yeonjun looked up into his face. Took the time to study Soobin's earnest gaze and the unhappy curve of his lips. 

Of course Beomgyu took the moment they were having as his cue to enter the room. “Soobin-hyung, can we leave please? I'm drunk and sleepy!!” 

“In a minute. Can you go and say bye to Taehyun? I'll meet you by the door.” Beomgyu bounced out of the room without another word. Throughout the brief exchange Yeonjun felt himself deflating a little. He thought whatever moment they were having was lost. 

Soobin shifted onto his knees and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a small, and admittedly squished, origami fox. Soobin reached over and pressed it into Yeonjun's hands. Yeonjun could easily imagine the care Soobin put in to make such a precious gift. And how devastated he would be only to accidentally crush it moments later.

“It's not perfect, but I hope you can love it anyway.” Soobin spoke softly and with a vulnerability that made Yeonjun gulp. He looked up into Soobin's face surprised, but before he could respond Soobin leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Happy birthday hyung,” he whispered, leaving Yeonjun in the study alone.

He wasn't sure how long he sat on the floor, stunned. Eventually Yeonjun looked back down at the little fox and carefully traced the edges with a finger. It was beautiful.


	2. Soobin's Birthday

Soobin wanted to lie down. He could barely focus any more, his eyes were drooping and his legs were cramping. He had been determined to finish the paper he was working on, but there was a limit to how much you could do in one sitting. He was only human after all. As he was gathering up his things he reached for his phone to check the time, trying to pretend he didn't see that only twenty-three minutes had passed. Soobin paused. On one hand he knew he had barely done anything and this paper wasn't going to write itself, but on the other hand, he didn't want to. And that settled it. He grabbed his bag and headed out to do anything else that wasn't writing an essay. 

He had wandered all the way to a nearby park to look at dogs before he received a text message from Yeonjun, simply consisting of a question mark. In reply he snapped a photo of a terrier with a wonky haircut. He watched the wonky terrier for a few more minutes before Yeonjun replied asking to meet at their favourite coffee shop. It sounded like a perfectly non-studious way to spend an afternoon, so Soobin didn't hesitate to agree.

It took approximately four minutes after sitting down to realise he had been tricked. Yeonjun had bought him a strawberry frappuccino, cornered him in the back of the cafe and took out his books. “But Hyuuunnggg,” Soobin didn't whine often, but surely this situation called for it. “I already studied today!”

“Oh yeah? For how long?”

“An hour at least!” Yeonjun stared at him in disbelief. “Fine, half an hour.” Yeonjun's eyebrows started to inch up his forehead. “Okay okay, it was twenty-three minutes, but I worked really hard that whole time!” Soobin could tell Yeonjun was trying hard not to show he was amused, but he could see the twinkle in his eyes. “Soobinie, if you finish the paper by the end of the week then you won't even have to do anything this weekend! You'll only have two tests to study for and then you'll be done for the year! And then it's your birthday. And THEN it's Christmas! There's so much to look forward to, you just have to finish your paper!”

Yeonjun had increased in excitement and thus in volume throughout his little rant, and Soobin weighed up his options. Agreeing to study would definitely make Yeonjun happy. He might even do a cute, little wiggle dance about it. But being difficult about it could make Yeonjun get even more passionate trying to convince him, which would be both cute and entertaining. He was leaning towards disagreeing when Yeonjun hit him with the one-two punch of puppy-dog eyes and a cute pout, Soobin's well-known and often used weakness. He sighed and reached for his books. Yeonjun wiggled happily. It was definitely worth it.

Soobin did honestly try to work on his paper but lost interest again fairly quickly. He gave up entirely when he realised he'd spent more time doodling than he had actually working. Instead he decided to spend his time day-dreaming. He had been doing that excessively in the last few weeks. Either that or over-thinking every interaction he's had with Yeonjun since his birthday. It was practically his new hobby. He often found himself caught in the loop of Yeonjun didn't seem adverse to the cheek kiss (that's good!), but he didn't bring it up either (that's bad!) and he hasn't acted any differently (that's good!) but he hasn't acted any differently (that's BAD!)!  
He didn't want to get stuck in that cycle right now so he tried to focus on day-dreaming about the dogs he'd seen earlier. Inevitably his thoughts wandered back to Yeonjun almost embarrassingly quickly. It started off as it usually did, thinking about holding his hand, going on dates, obnoxiously feeling up his biceps. You know, the usual. Then his mind started replaying the moment he gave Yeonjun his gift, thinking over and over about the look on his face when Soobin had pressed it into his hands. He had looked like someone had given him a handful of diamonds, not a piece of paper that that could loosely be described as fox-shaped. 

This is where he often found himself get stuck. There was something about that moment, about seeing such genuine awe and tenderness from Yeonjun, that gave him pause. He still didn't quite know what to make of it. He had been trying not to get his hopes up, that had never gotten him anywhere good in the past, but there was a smaller glimmer there, remaining sparkling in the back of his mind.

Yeonjun could pick the exact moment Soobin gave up on working. He watched him finish his drink and draw three cute dog drawings before putting his pen down entirely to just stare into space. He decided not to call him out on it, he knew Soobin would get his work done. Instead he went back to organising the surprise board-game night he was planning for Soobin's birthday. It would be perfect. Soobin would think they were just going to get snacks and have a regular night, but instead he would come over and Beomgyu, Taehyun and Kai would be there with them to play whatever games Soobin wanted. Then they'd have cake. Friends, games and cake were Soobin's favourite things, he was sure to love it. He just needed his friend's cooperation in making sure it all went smoothly.

In between his inner-musings Soobin had been watching Yeonjun furiously typing on his phone. Yeonjun's intense devotion to whatever was happening sent his mind wandering back to something he'd been thinking about on and off. Yeonjun and his birthday wishes. He claimed an almost unbelievable rate of wish fulfilment. Soobin couldn't believe he was even entertaining the idea of making a wish, but his own act of daring at the party had sparked that tiny glimmer of hope that he couldn't let go. He figured he better check in with the results this year. Out of friendly interest, definitely not to measure results. “Hyung?” Soobin asked causing Yeonjun to flinch in fright, but he always managed to play it off coolly which impressed and annoyed Soobin in equal measure. “Did your birthday wish come true this year?” Yeonjun was clearly surprised at the question, his mouth opening and closing a few times. Eventually his face seemed to settle into a smile. Yeonjun looked down, clearly trying to hide the expression. “Yeah. Yeah it did.”

~

Yeonjun's excitement was contagious. Normally Soobin found his birthday exhausting, but Yeonjun was lighting up the whole room with his excitement and he couldn't stop himself from feeding off the feeling. They were sitting on Soobin's bed so Yeonjun could give him his present. He had told all his friends that they didn't need to get him gifts, that their friendship was treasured gift enough, but Yeonjun had decided to get him something anyway. He didn't need to open it to know he was going to love it with his whole heart.  
He decided to tease his hyung a little and started to unwrap it at the slowest pace imaginable. He could see Yeonjun's hands twitching with impatience out of the corner of his eye. Eventually Yeonjun couldn't stop himself from tearing the rest of the paper off before handing it back to Soobin with narrowed eyes, he only got a serene smile in response. Now un-wrapped, Soobin could see the trendy denim jacket he'd been given. “Oh hyung, it's so pretty! Thank you!” He exclaimed, running his hands over the furry lining. “I'm going to wear it today!”  
Without waiting for any response from Yeonjun he ditched the jacket he had been wearing for the new one. Straightening out the lapels he turned to Yeonjun. “How does it look, hyung?” Soobin thought he would get a teasing response, or that Yeonjun would praise himself for making a good choice. Instead Yeonjun watched him for a few seconds longer than necessary, an unreadable expression on his face. Finally he said “really good Soobinie. You look good.” After a few more seconds of emotionally charged and frankly, confusing, silence Yeonjun smiled. “Alright! Come with hyung, there is an entire day of birthday plans we have to get through!” Soobin was more than happy to indulge him in whatever he had concocted.

It had become clear to Soobin pretty quickly that there was some sort of surprise party involved. Yeonjun had not stopped vibrating with excitement all day, which would have been give away enough without the convoluted story he made up about why they had to go back to his apartment at seven o'clock specifically. Soobin didn't say a word about it though. He would just have to practice his surprised face when Yeonjun wasn't looking. For now he couldn't keep the smile off his face knowing how happy Yeonjun would be when they got to the 'surprise'. 

Unfortunately Soobin ended up being very much surprised when Taehyun and Kai jumped out at him as they were walking into Yeonjun's building. “What the hell! Why would you do that here!?” Soobin said as he pressed a hand to his chest to calm his racing heart. Embarrassingly, this was not the first time they had surprised him like this.  
“We just wanted to make sure you were super surprised, hyung! You know, for your birthday!” Soobin couldn't find it in himself to care so much when he could hear Yeonjun giggling behind him.  
“Yeah, yeah it worked. Let's just go upstairs. Yeonjunie-hyung promised me snacks.”

Soobin pressed his hands to his cheeks. They hurt from smiling so hard. He was staring at himself in the bathroom mirror, taking a second to collect his thoughts. His night had been so incredible and he loved his friends so much he needed a minute to straighten it out in his head. He found his eyes wandering down to the jacket Yeonjun had given him. It wasn't something he would have picked himself, but he could admit it did look very nice. He had gone to the trouble of picking such a pretty gift, spending the day with him and organising such a cute and fun party. It was all done with such thought and care. The hope in his mind grew from a glimmer to a small but stable flame.

On his way back from the bathroom Soobin realised a birthday cake was immanent when he heard furious whispering coming from the kitchen. Unsure of whether this was meant to be another surprise or not, he headed back to the lounge room to sit by Kai who stared at his outfit for a full minute before asking “is that a new jacket hyung?”  
“Yeah! Hyung gave me it today. I love it!”  
“It looks great! Yeonjun-hyung is great at picking clothes. I wear that hoodie he got me for my birthday all the time!” Kai continued to chatter on, not realising he had triggered Soobin's thought-spiral again.  
Of course, how could he forget? Yeonjun got everybody clothes for their birthday. And Kai was right, he was great at picking out clothes for people. For everyone, not just for Soobin. Yeonjun was thoughtful and caring to all his friends and simply wanted his Soobin to enjoy his birthday. There wasn't anything to read into. The flame of hope dimmed, but he refused to let it die. 

A minute later the lights were flicked off and he found himself accosted by a very loud rendition of the happy birthday song. He couldn't keep the smile off his face throughout the ordeal. When it was finally over Yeonjun held the cake in front of him. “Make a wish Soobinie.” He almost didn't do it. He'd gone this far in life without birthday wishes, he could survive another a year. But then again, what did he have to lose? With a newly found resolve, he closed his eyes and wished. 

Later when they were all piled onto Yeonjun's bed to sleep Beomgyu whispered “What did you wish for hyung?”

“I can't tell you or it won't come true.”

~

Soobin couldn't believe he let himself be dragged to a Christmas party. Yeonjun didn't even have to use the puppy-dog eyes and pout combination, just a simple, whiny “please come” did him in this time. He supposed he wasn't having that bad of a time. He liked Christmas - he got to wear all of his favourite sweaters, everything was always covered in pretty decorations and he usually got to stay indoors. Usually. He was currently in someone's backyard desperately wishing he'd thought more about what coat he should wear instead of which sweater was cutest. The saving grace of the situation was the fact he was huddled very closely to Yeonjun for warmth.  
Despite there being a designated 'dance floor' and the music most definitely not being Christmas music, Yeonjun was instead spending the night with him. His little hope-flame had been steadily warming him from the inside. 

As Yeonjun was passionately arguing with Taehyun some point about the latest superhero movie they'd seen, Soobin's mind was wandering. He'd felt a little foolish after his birthday. He'd had an incredible time, but his pesky-but-beloved flame of hope had built up some expectations that were never met. He'd almost believed his birthday wish would come true, but after leaving the day after he realised he'd been a little too idealistic. He wouldn't let it ruin his memories of the day though. It had been too wonderful for that.  
He had been thrown back into the world of over-analysing, never more so than at that moment at the party when Yeonjun curled himself against him as he was laughing. He had wrapped his arms all the way around Soobin's waist as though it was natural. He never did that to anyone else, just him. Involuntarily the flame grew brighter.

The night progressed and eventually the cold became too much to bare, so Soobin headed inside under the guise of getting everyone drinks. He fully intended to bring everyone drinks at some point, he's just planning to take his time about it. It wasn't that much warrner inside, but anything was better than bone-chilling cold he had just come in from. Eventually he sent his friends an apology text informing them he was never going back outside, and he would be here if they needed him. That decided, he wandered off further into the house wanting to explore and lost track of time looking over the bookshelves in one of the side-rooms. 

After a while he was shivering again and figured he should he back to his friends. He stopped short when we saw Yeonjun leaning against the door frame to the kitchen. Smiling, he made his way over. “Soobinie! I wanted to say bye. Taehyun has had one too many mulled wines, so I'm going to take him home.” Soobin could stop the wave of affection that surged over him. Yeonjun looked after everyone so well. “Oh no! I hope he isn't hung-over in the morning. I'll come by with some soup!”  
As warm as Yeonjun was making his heart, he could not stop his very obvious shivers.  
“Oh, are you still cold?” Before Soobin could answer Yeonjun had taken off his coat and draped it over his shoulders. He took a few extra seconds to position it just right and rested his hands over the lapels. They were standing so close together Yeonjun had to tilt his head back to look at Soobin's face. “Bring this back to me tomorrow.” Yeonjun told him. He seemed uncertain about something, what it was Soobin had no idea. His own brain was in overdrive at the close proximity. There was no chance he would be able to formulate a coherent response.  
Yeonjun looked up further to something above their heads before meeting his eyes with determination this time. Before Soobin could process what was happening, Yeonjun stood on his tiptoes and pressed their lips together. “Goodnight Soobin,” He whispered before disappearing out the door. 

It took a few more seconds for Soobin to register what had happened. He felt like he was lagging, looking around for Yeonjun after he had already left. He closed his eyes and tipped back against the door frame. He would definitely need more time to process this turn of events. His thoughts were tumbling all over the place, the flame burning so bright he wouldn't be surprised if he were glowing. Eventually he opened his eyes and saw the mistletoe hung above him on the frame. Yeonjun had definitely looked at it before kissing him. Is that why he had been waiting in that particular spot? There was no stopping the pleased smile blooming on his face. 

Soobin pulled Yeonjun's coat tighter around himself and decided that there was more to birthday wishes than he thought.


	3. Taehyun's Birthday

It was tradition for Soobin's family to go on vacation every new years. He cherished the time because he got to spend it with his family. What he did not understand was why they would have a beach holiday during winter. Everything was cold and wet, two of his least favourite sensations. As a result he was choosing to spend most of his time indoors, although even he had to admit that spending three straight weeks inside was bad, even for him. He resolved to convince his family to head out for a walk along the beach (if he was going to be wet and cold he wasn't going to do it alone). He could admit when he needed fresh air. And if it gave him some good photo opportunities for instagram, then even better.  
He rifled through his clothes to grab his puffer jacket but changed his mind last minute. He still had the jacket Yeonjun had lent him last week after 'forgetting' to bring it back. With a smirk he grabbed it instead. 

~

After the Christmas party he had brought soup for a hung-over Taehyun as promised. Throughout the rest of the night and the morning after, Soobin's thoughts got progressively louder and louder until he made a panic-induced decision to hold on to the coat. Through some twisted logic he had convinced himself that by keeping the coat nothing bad could happen. If Yeonjun regretted what he did, or pretended it didn't happen or things were awkward it didn't matter. If he still had Yeonjun's coat they'd have to keep talking. So he'd just keep the coat forever. Problem solved.

Beomgyu had tagged along on the soup mission, which Soobin had secretly been thankful for. Having Beomgyu there slightly alleviated the anxiety that had been bubbling in Soobin's stomach. He didn't understand why he was more nervous after Yeonjun kissed him than before. His little flame of hope was now a proper fire, but it was still in danger of going out. He had thought, over-thought, then over-thought the overthinking. It felt like his mind was playing a non-stop game of he-loves-me, he-loves-me-not. 

When they arrived they found Taehyun curled up on the sofa, half asleep and looking sorry for himself. Beomgyu immediately stretched out along side him and for all intents and purposes appeared to go back to sleep. Taehyun made a sleepy noise, draped himself over his new pillow and dozed off again. Soobin shrugged, put the soup on the counter for later and wandered into Yeonjun's room.  
Yeonjun had clearly tried to get up, got as far as changing clothes and laid back down again. Soobin took the opportunity to stare shamelessly at the endearing way his cheek was smooshed against the pillow. Before he could do much else Yeonjun opened one eye and looked at him. They stared at each other for a few more seconds before Yeonjun reached an arm up and made grabby-hands at Soobin, who did not need asking twice.  
As soon as Soobin lay down Yeonjun wriggled to rest his head on Soobin's chest and curled into his warmth. “Hi Soobinie,” Yeonjun mumbled sleepily. Soobin felt like he was melting. "Hi hyung,” he whispered back.  
“Nap time Soobinie. Shhhhh.” Soobin let out a little huff of amusement, but otherwise complied. Who was he to argue? 

Beomgyu had woken them up sometime later with claims they would ruin their sleep if they stayed in bed any longer, which was a bit rich coming from him. Taehyun at least appeared slightly more alive than earlier and Kai had finally joined them. There was an unspoken rule to keep everything quiet and low-key, so they watched a few episodes of Terrace House and ate reheated soup. Soobin's entire left side felt like it was on fire where it was pressed against Yeonjun.  
He felt like he ascended to a new plane of existence when Yeonjun leaned his head on his shoulder. He deliberated silently over what he should do, condensing an entire night's worth of over-thinking into an efficient ten seconds, before wrapping an arm around Yeonjun. It seemed to be the correct course of action if the pleased hum he got in response was anything to go by.  
He felt positively giddy at this turn of events, and found himself starting to giggle at things that weren't particularly funny. Yeonjun didn't quite understand what exactly was so funny, but couldn't help laughing along. Before too long they were both a giggling mess.  
“Uuuughhh stop,” Taehyun moaned. “Some of us are hungover.” Taehyun did still seem somewhat ill, so in a moment of mercy Soobin stood up and pulled Yeonjun with him.  
“Sorry Taehyunie, hyungs will go and be loud somewhere else.”  
“Don't forget you need to leave in a minute Soobin-hyung, you still need to go to the shops and find a gift for your nephew and you won't have time any other day” Soobin sighed internally at the reminder. He didn't want to be the one to cut such a magical day short, but he did need to go soon. This inspired a brief moment of daring where Soobin pulled Yeonjun back to his room and closed the door. He didn't actually have a plan on what to do when they got here, he was just winging it and hoping for the best. Yeonjun's giggling providing much needed, and very beautiful, reassurance.  
Soobin leaned back against the door to look at him. They were standing closer together than strictly necessary which had him feeling a little breathless. “You better go,” Yeonjun said. “You'll be upset if you don't find a good gift to bring him. If you can find anything at all. I bet the stores are sold out of the best stuff by now.” Soobin was starting to pout when Yeonjun noticed something else. His eyes widened and then narrowed suspiciously. “You didn't bring my coat!”  
“Yes I, uh, forgot it,” It was so blatantly a lie, given away even more by the fact Soobin couldn't quite stop himself from laughing.  
“Hyuuuunnnggg, let's gooo!” Beomgyu yelled from the hall.  
“Sorry Yeonjunie-hyung, I'll try and remember it next time.” Yeonjun looked up from under his eyelashes and put on his prettiest pout. Soobin felt there was really only one correct course of action here, so he leaned down to press a kiss to Yeonjun's lips. And another. And then a third. This one lingered, Yeonjun's bottom lip caught between his own. No amount of day-dreaming could have prepared him for the addicting feeling. Reluctantly he pulled away and watched Yeonjun's eyes flutter open. “See you later hyung,” he said with a soft smile before heading out the door.

~ 

Soobin was wandering around trying to find an ideal location for some selfies. He figured he should take advantage of the beach setting and get as many photos as possible. He'd be set for instagram content for months if he put in a bit of effort now. He let out a huff of amusement as an idea occurred to him. It was very clear he was wearing Yeonjun's jacket. This was an ideal scenario for him to tease his hyung a little. He messaged a picture of himself with a shit-eating grin to Yeonjun, jacket featuring very heavily in the photo. Within seconds his phone began to ring. “Is that my jacket?!” Yeonjun practically yelled down the phone.  
“Oh hello hyung, how nice to hear from you. I hope you're well!”  
“I can't believe you took MY jacket on holiday with you. I told you to bring that back!”  
“My vacation is great, thanks for asking!”  
“Uggggghhhhh. I can't believe you!” Yeonjun didn't really sound all that upset. He paused for a few seconds before continuing far more softly. “Hi Soobin-ah.”  
“Hi hyung,” Soobin couldn't stop himself from smiling.  
“Are you enjoying your vacation?”  
“Of course! My family is always fun, and my nephew has grown so much. He's so much fun to play with now! I was going a little stir-crazy so we came out to look at the seagulls”  
“And you thought my jacket was appropriate seagull-viewing attire?”  
“It looks cute!”  
“It does.”  
“... oh,” Soobin didn't quite know what to say. He wasn't expecting Yeonjun to agree.  
“Soobin-ah looks very cute in my jacket”  
“Ah, stop. All your clothes are nice.”  
“Of course they are, but what I mean is that you look great wearing my clothes.” It was too direct to really be flirting but that was making him feel even more flustered. He had been prepared for a cute, pretend tantrum, not for whatever this was. He needed to level the playing field before Yeonjun reduced him to an incoherent mess.

“But it's not fair hyung, you have to send me a picture back. I bet you look the cutest today.” Yeonjun's delighted giggle made his heart feel like it was about to burst. It has only been a couple of weeks and they had been texting, but hearing him laugh was something else. Soobin couldn't manage to stop the “I miss you,” he blurted out. He cringed, he had not meant to say that at all, even though it was true. He could feel his face heating up in embarrassment.  
“I miss you too,” Yeonjun replied without hesitation. Relief washed over Soobin and very quickly turned into elation.  
Soobin could see his family waving for him to head back. He was a little disappointed to end the conversation, but he knew that what had happened so far was just the beginning.  
“I have to go hyung, I need to head back before dinner time,”  
“Hmmph. Make sure you look after my jacket! Don't get any food on it. And don't go near the water. Or sand. Or any dirt or mud.” That gave Soobin another excellent idea.  
“Of course, hyung.” He replied, aiming for picture perfect innocence but instead sounding like mischief incarnate. “I'll do my very best.”  
“Hey! I don't believ-” Soobin hung up before Yeonjun could finish the sentence. 

As he made his way back over to his family he saw his sister watching him. “Who was that?” She asked curiously.  
“Yeonjun. He wanted to scold me for wearing his jacket to the beach.” He watched his sister's eyebrows raise slightly.  
“That's Yeonjun's jacket? Didn't you say he gave you the jacket you were wearing yesterday too?”  
“Yep! Hyung picks the prettiest clothes.”  
“Yeonjun makes you happy, doesn't he?” Soobin knew his face had lit up into a besotted smile, but he wasn't sure how to stop it. “Yeah. Yeah he does.” His sister smiled back at him.

Over the remaining week of his holiday Soobin made it his mission to take as many selfies in Yeonjun's jacket as possible. He was very particular about always including something Yeonjun would deem dangerous in the frame. He sent every single one to Yeonjun, no captions necessary. His personal favourite was one of him and his nephew eating ice cream, with the melting drips trailing dangerously close to one of the sleeves. He had gotten a novel length message in return telling him off.  
Yeonjun had been doing his duty by sending return pictures. Sometimes they were selfies, there had been a few pictures of his friends and one of a very fluffy samoyed which he liked almost as much as the pictures of Yeonjun. It was the second last day of vacation and he had just received a picture of Yeonjun posing in Soobin's room with the caption “If you're allowed to take my clothes, I'm allowed to take yours.” Soobin felt a little betrayed that Beomgyu would let Yeonjun in just to take his clothes (and help him take a picture), but then again he wasn't really surprised. He knew Yeonjun wasn't done so he held off on replying, intrigued about what Yeonjun would take.  
He didn't hear from Yeonjun again until he was preparing to go to bed, surprised and delighted in equal parts at the photo of Yeonjun looking extra soft in one of Soobin's zip-up hoodies. It was almost too big for Soobin, and on Yeonjun it was definitely over-sized. He replied with a simple “Cute!!!!!” Which Soobin thought may have been too many exclamation marks. Well, it would be something to over-think in bed later. He didn't have to wait long for Yeonjun's message in reply.  
“Aren't you mad I took your hoodie?”  
“How could I be when hyung looks so cosy!”  
“Don't I look anything else?” Soobin wondered what game Yeonjun was playing here, unsure if he was prepared for it.  
“Hyung is also sexy, don't you think?” Nope. Definitely not prepared. Soobin's mind started to race. He did agree that Yeonjun was also sexy. He thought he was cute and sexy always, now was no exception. Still unsure of himself (and panicing only a little), Soobin decided to play it safe.  
“Nope! Hyung looks soft and cute!” With no immediate reponse, he thought he was in the clear for now. A few minutes later his phone dinged again. Soobin's mouth dropped open. Yeonjun had sent him another selfie wearing Soobin's hoodie, except this time it was unzipped, and it turns out there was definitely not anything underneath. Or anything keeping it from slipping off one of his shoulders. Yeonjun's hair was messy and his mouth was parted, eyes staring directly into the camera and right into Soobin's soul.  
Soobin could feel his brain short-circuiting. He was absolutely not prepared for this at all. He had tried to reply but starting typing only to delete each message as soon as he wrote it. He bet Yeonjun was enjoying watching the bubbles pop up and disappear, knowing he would have reduced Soobin to a stammering mess. He figured he should keep his reply simple, that should reduce the likelihood of embarrassing himself.  
“Definitely sexy.” He thought that might be the end of it, and tried not to be too disappointed when no reply came. Yeonjun loved compliments and may have just been doing the most in order to hear what he wanted. He continued getting ready for bed, resigning himself to a night of uncertainty when his phone chimed again. He felt his breath get caught in his throat.  
“Miss you.”  
  
  
“Miss you too.”

~

Soobin returned from vacation just before the start of the new semester and found himself too busy to see his friends for the first couple of weeks. He managed to meet with them for lunch briefly one day and could not stop himself from hugging Yeonjun the second he saw him. Yeonjun immediately wrapped his arms around his waist to hug back, tucking his face into the side of Soobin's neck. Instead of letting go, they continued to hug even as they greeted everyone else. “Why didn't I get a hug?” Beomgyu pouted.  
“This is clear favouritism,” Kai added.  
“Yes. I thought we all knew Yeonjun is my favourite?” Soobin replied. He grinned at his friends, but everyone knew he wasn't really joking. He could feel Yeonjun's smile pressed into his skin. He never wanted to forget the feeling.

They were finishing up lunch when Kai changed the subject. “By next week everyone should be settled, which means you all have to come over for Taehyun's birthday!” Everyone agreed of course. How could they miss it?

The week flew by and Saturday saw Soobin trying to pretend he wasn't stressing over what outfit to wear. Normally it wouldn't bother him too much, but he wanted to look sexy and cool, but in an effortless way. As though it was just what he happened to be wearing all day. He was tempted to get a second opinion from Beomgyu, but knew he wouldn't hear the end of it if he did. Eventually he gave up and opted for his usual large-sweater-tight-jeans combo.

After an increasingly alarming series of texts from Kai (“Don't you dare be late to this, hyung” and “It's Taehyunie's birthday and he deserves the world so don't ruin it” and “I will not hesitate to pull out all of your hair if you're late”) Soobin and Beomgyu found themselves arriving on time and with gifts (a proper gift from Soobin, alcohol from Beomgyu). Taehyun gave them both a warm hug and accepted the gifts with an award-winning smile (his eyes may have had a slightly more manic gleam when they landed on the large bottle of spirits Beomgyu had brought). 

It wasn't a huge party, just their usual group plus a few other friends from Taehyun's course. That did not stop Yeonjun dressing to the nine's for the occasion. Soobin couldn't take his eyes off him, or the large amount of chest showing. Beomgyu had made a snide comment about Yeonjun undoing more buttons than necessary, but Soobin wholeheartedly approved of the shirt to chest ratio Yeonjun was serving. Ever since that selfie Yeonjun had sent, his chest has haunted, or rather blessed, Soobin's dreams. He didn't even care when he was caught staring, Yeonjun raising an eyebrow in his direction. Soobin smirked back but it was mostly for show, still needing a bit more processing time.

It was a few drinks in to the evening now and Soobin couldn't quite figure out how to talk to Yeonjun. No, that wasn't quite right, they had talked plenty of times so far but about the inconsequential, silly stuff of parties. Not about what he wants to bring up, like the prospect of being able to hold Yeonjun's hand forever. He didn't want to botch it so he needed a plan of attack. Unfortunately the only thing he could think of was to drink more. So he dragged Taehyun and Beomgyu into the kitchen for birthday shots.  
(“That's not a thing, hyung.”  
“Sure it is. You want a birthday shot, right Taehyunie?”  
“Yes. Duh.” Beomgyu poked his tongue out at both of them.)

As he was watching Yeonjun across the room Soobin felt his thoughts drifting to how Yeonjun's lips had felt against his. He found himself imagining how it would feel to kiss him again. How good it would feel to kiss him roughly, with tongue and teeth. How firm his chest (his stupid, visible chest) would feel under his hands. He wanted that now with more urgency than he had ever felt before but he still had no idea how to approach it. He looked away from Yeonjun for the sake of his sanity and found his eyes landing an Taehyun. With a sense of satisfaction he realised he had a plan after all, guaranteed to work.

It was getting a little late and Soobin found himself definitely getting past the tipsy end of the spectrum. At least, that would be what he used to justify his thought process with later. He could see Kai preparing the birthday cake and knew this was his chance. He strategically positioned himself next to Taehyun to wait for the right moment. As expected everyone started the birthday song and tried to sing properly for Taehyun's benefit. Soobin didn't sing. Instead he closed his eyes, ready. When it was over he gave Taehyun a silent apology, and stole his birthday wish.  
He knew he should feel at least a bit bad, surely there was some sort of birthday wish etiquette he had just breached? He just couldn't bring himself to care. Birthday wishes came true, so he knew if he wished for the same thing again it would work, even if he did steal the wish from someone else. Luckily no one seemed to suspect foul play, everyone including Taehyun thought it had been a funny, harmless prank.

He had wandered into the kitchen for another drink, satisfied with his short-term plan. He knew it wouldn't fix everything for him, but for right now he thought it might be enough. A few people trailed in and out. Soobin was content to people watch and lose himself in his thoughts until Yeonjun himself wandered in, pleased as punch at the large chunk of cake he had acquired. “Soobinie!” Check out what hyung scored for us!” It was indeed an impressively large piece of cake. Soobin did not hesitate to grab some and shovel it into his mouth. He knew it was the least sexiest way he could have eaten it, but his current priority was cake consumption above all else. He'd worry about trying to impress Yeonjun once he was finished. He could tell Yeonjun was especially enjoying it so he laid off a little to make sure his hyung could eat the rest. He always found a particular satisfaction in letting Yeonjun eat his food. He was in no state of analyse that right now, so he refocused on watching the land-speed record for cake inhalation that was being set in front of him.  
Any other thought in his head abruptly disappeared as Yeonjun began to lick icing off his fingers. Soobin was absolutely transfixed. At first Yeonjun didn't notice his audience but with a quick glance over at Soobin it was clear he knew now. Without breaking eye-contact Yeonjun raised the last finger to his mouth and licked the icing off in a way that practically obscene. Soobin could feel his mouth watering. He'd had dreams like this before.  
There was a small speck of icing caught on corner of Yeonjun's lips. Without thought Soobin reach up towards his face. Yeonjun's eyes widened as he tracked the movement. “You missed some.” Soobin's voice came out as a deep rumble. He could almost feel Yeonjun's shiver. Soobin wiped the icing from Yeonjun's lips but before he could retract his hand Yeonjun gripped his wrist to hold it in place. He lent forward and sucked the icing off of Soobin's thumb. Soobin's mouth parted involuntarily. He felt like he'd been hit by a tonne of bricks. “Got it,” He whispered.  
Soobin wasn't sure who initiated it, but the next thing he knew they were kissing. It was nothing like the gentle kisses they had exchanged previously. This was hot and intense and everything his dreams were made of. Yeonjun grabbed the neck of his sweater to pull him even closer, the new angle perfect for Soobin to gently bite and tug on Yeonjun's bottom lip. He greedily drank the soft noise Yeonjun made in response. He pushed Yeonjun backwards until he was pressed against the counter, Yeonjun's hands gripping his hips tightly to pull their bodies together. Neither of them had a endgame here, both content to lose themselves heat of each other's mouths.  
Soobin was unsure of how much time had passed. Their intensity had naturally slowed down until they found themselves back to trading soft kisses. The fire that had been burning him up previously had settled into a constant, gentle warmth inside of him. 

Eventually they came back to themselves. Yeonjun seemed to remember they were in the kitchen in an apartment full of people at the same time Soobin did, erupting in a fit of tiny giggles. Soobin covered his mouth but couldn't stop his own laughter.  
“I guess that really took the cake huh Soobninie?” Yeonjun joked, looking immensely proud of his pun.  
“That's cheesy, hyung.” Soobin tried his best not to react, but started laughing again almost immediately. He was sure the hearts shooting from his eyes were visible to anyone who cared to look. Yeonjun's giggling had stopped, replaced by a soft look as he watched Soobin pretend he wasn't funny. He never wanted this to end.

Yeonjun slid his hand into Soobin's and tugged a little. “Come on, hyung is sleepy. Let's go to bed.”


	4. Beomgyu's Birthday

It took longer than he'd care to admit for Soobin to realise he was not alone in bed. Or even in his bed at all. Cracking one eye open confirmed that he was in fact sprawled across Yeonjun's bed. With Yeonjun. He immediately felt a little bad as 'sprawled' was probably putting it nicely. He had stretched across most of the bed with Yeonjun curled up in a little ball between him and the wall. Had Soobin been more awake, he probably would have laughed. He also would probably have panicked immediately. His sleepy brain was apparently far more calm and far more brave. He twisted onto his side and reached for Yeonjun, gently pulling him away from the wall, against his body. Despite trying to be careful, the jostling woke him. Soobin stopped breathing, nervous to see how he would react to the situation. Yeonjun merely flipped over, curling into Soobin and closing his eyes again. “Let's not get up yet Soobinie. It's still sleep time.” Soobin relaxed again, letting out a sigh that was equal parts relief and contentedness.  
“Okay, Yeonjun-ah. Let's not get up yet.”

Despite both knowing they would have to get up eventually (there was only so long they could go without food), neither of them were inclined to burst the peaceful bubble they were in. They had dozed for a little longer, warm and content with their arms wrapped around each other. Soobin felt himself starting to drift off again when he felt Yeonjun press his cold nose into his neck and breath deeply.  
“Did you just smell me?” He felt Yeonjun stiffen against him.  
“... no”  
“Yes you did!” Soobin didn't even mind. He was delighted actually. Yeonjun was clearly flustered and wanted to tease him a little. He could admit there was a certain satisfaction to it, so maybe he wouldn't hold it against Yeonjun next time he purposefully tried to fluster Soobin.  
“No! I was just breathing, your neck just happened to be in the way of my air!” Soobin was immediately cackling at this absurd justification. “Stop laughing! It's not funny! I thought you were asleep!” Yeonjun had rolled over and covered his face in embarrassment.  
“Surely it's creepier to smell someone when they're asleep than when they're awake.” Yeonjun let out a weak noise of despair at that.  
“It's not my fault you're all comfy and warm! You're always so warm. And you smell good. So it's your fault if anything.”  
Soobin had watched in fascination as Yeonjun's ears and neck had progressively gotten redder and redder throughout the conversation. He thought back to all the times Yeonjun had made him blush, and how cool and collected he had seemed. He always felt like Yeonjun was never affected by anything, didn't care as much, thought it was all a game. Maybe he just hadn't been looking at the right time.  
“Yeonjun.” He managed to cut off the quite wails Yeonjun was still emitting. Soobin sat up and gently wrapped his hands around Yeonjun's wrists to pull them away from his face. The glare Yeonjun shot at him was undercut by the very big pout he was currently wearing. “I think you're comfy and warm and smell good too.” There was a moment's pause where they just stared at each other. Soobin felt his nose crinkle a little. “That sounded cooler and more romantic in my head,” he admitted. Yeonjun's mouth parted as though he was surprised.  
“You want to sound cool and romantic?”  
“Are you kidding? I've been trying and failing to sound cool and romantic since I met you!”  
“Oh.”

There was another pause. Each second that ticked by was more and more painful for Soobin. Oh? Just oh? That was the only reaction he got? He let out a frustrated noise involuntarily. “Yeonjun,” he said again, much more firmly. “I knew I wanted to kiss you from the very first time I saw you. You probably don't even remember. You were wearing lip gloss and kept licking your lips. It drove me insane. You were the prettiest person I'd ever seen in my life.”  
Soobin barely registers Yeonjun's small “I remember.”  
“I knew I wanted to date you the next time we saw each other. We were sitting across from each other when we all went out to lunch and you had stuffed an ungodly amount of food into your mouth and all I wanted to do was squish your cheeks. We walked to get ice cream after and all I thought about was holding your hand. You were the cutest person I'd ever seen in my life” Yeonjun was sitting up now too, staring at Soobin like he couldn't believe what was happening.  
“The third time I saw you was that dance competition. You absolutely crushed it. There was no way anyone else was going to come close to beating you. You were the coolest person I'd ever seen in my life. I think I realised I loved you when I saw how far you'd go to look after your friends, make sure they're okay. You're the nicest per-” Soobin was cut off as Yeonjun leaned forward and kissed him. It was gentle and so, so careful. Yeonjun pulled back to look at him. “That was all pretty cool and romantic I think.” Yeonjun told him with a soft smile. He reached out and cupped Soobin's face gently with both hands.  
“Soobin, I have been head over heels for you since I saw you knock over a water bottle, bend down to pick it up, bump your head on the wall and then knock over the rest of the water bottles.”  
“But that was just before first time we properly met?”  
“Exactly. I talked about you for so long that Taehyun finally introduced us to shut me up. The first time I heard you laugh I felt like my heart skipped a beat. The first time I made you laugh, I realised there was nothing more I'd rather spend my life doing.” Soobin reached up and wrapped his hands around Yeonjun's wrists. Not to pull them away, but to keep them in place.  
“I want to keep making you laugh, if you'd let me. I want to keep doing everything with you.”  
“Of course. Always.” 

They stared at each other, matching smiles, blinding with how bright they were.

The need for food did eventually drag them from the bed. Yeonjun ushered Soobin into the shower and promised breakfast would be waiting for him when he was done. The smell of food summoned Taehyun from his room. “Hyung, can you make me breakfast too?”  
“Of course!” Was Yeonjun's chipper response. Taehyun watched him thoughtfully and eventually a smug smirk grew on his face.  
“Things went well with Soobin I take it?” Yeonjun paused. Could Taehyun read minds? How could he know that? He cleared his throat and gave his best shot at sounding nonchalant.  
“What makes you say that?”  
“The fact you guys made out in the kitchen for like ten minutes last night?”  
Yeonjun let out a strangled noise in response, Taehyun immediately cracking up. As if sensing mischief, Beomgyu appeared out of nowhere. “What's going on?”  
“Hyung thought we wouldn't notice him and Soobin 'working things out' last night.” Beomgyu joined in laughing with Taehyun.  
“Working things out? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”  
“I don't know Gyu-hyung. Yeonjun seems to be the expert here. What would you call it, hyung?”  
Yeonjun was refusing to turn around at this point, unwilling to see their smug grins.  
“I'm allowed to kiss Soobin if I want,” he muttered petulantly.  
“Oh no hyung don't get us wrong, we're thrilled for you. You've been starry-eyed over him since the first time he smiled vaguely in your direction. It's actually a relief you finally confessed. Wait, you did confess right? You didn't just make out at a party, not talk about it and then go back to pining?”  
Yeonjun turned around to glare at them.  
“Yes. He confessed first actually. It was very cool and romantic.” Yeonjun tried to keep glaring, but his face softened thinking about it anyway.  
The mischief that had been twinkling in Beomgyu's eyes turned into genuine joy. Taehyun's smug grin pulled up into a full smile. Yeonjun smiled back. 

Kai emerged not long after, Beomgyu immediately leaning up to whisper in his ear. Yeonjun simply braced himself for the high-pitched squeal he knew would be coming. He tried to pretend to be annoyed by the the tight hug Kai wrapped him in, but how could anyone be.  
The bathroom door eventually opened and Soobin made his way into the kitchen. He startled like a wild animal at the intense way his three friends were watching him, eyes flicking rapidly between them and Yeonjun. “Um. Good morning?”  
The mischievous twinkle was back in Beomgyu's eyes. “Good morning hyung. Did you have fun last night?”  
“Yeah of course? Taehyun always throws very reasonable parties.” Kai snorted.  
Taehyun muttered a tiny “Is that meant to be a compliment? It didn't feel like one.”  
“It certainly looked like you were enjoying yourself.” Soobin very quickly realised what they were getting at. Try as he might, he couldn't stop the tips of his ears turning pink.  
“Ah, I didn't think anyone would notice.”  
“You were right here! In the middle of the kitchen! In a house full of people!” Taehyun's voice had risen in incredulity. Soobin knew he didn't really have any come back to that and Taehun's indignant face was always very funny so he couldn't stop himself from giggling. This triggered Kai and then Beomgyu in turn. Taehyun shook his head, but found himself joining in too. Soobin looked over at Yeonjun to see him already looking back, a soft smile on his face. His heart soared. The tiny flame of hope he had been nursing for weeks, months, had settled into a pleasant fizzing he hoped never went away.

Breakfast was equal parts giddy and awkward. Every time he looked over at Yeonjun he couldn't stop the smile on his face. But every time they so much as breathed in the same direction three pairs of eyes would bore into them with laser focus, watching them like animals in a zoo. Eventually Yeonjun sighed. “Well, this has been fun, but Soobin and I are going to leave now.” Yeonjun gently tugged Soobin up by the wrist and pulled him back to his room. “Want to go get bubble tea?”  
“I would love to.” 

~

Yeonjun huffed out a sigh as he hurried out the door into the cold morning. He was bordering on late, but it was worth it to spend a few extra minutes with his boyfriend while he could. Classes had ramped up and there had been little time to spend with each over the past few weeks. It would be the end of the week before he would have a chance to meet with Soobin again. While he had spent the last few weeks in a perpetual state of giddy excitement, they had only managed a handful of stolen moments.  
The moments were sweet, full of whispers, smiles and kisses. He never really had a sweet-tooth, but thinking about it filled his stomach with butterflies and warmed him from the inside-out as he trudged his way to class.  
Honestly, he was feeling a little frustrated. He has committed every single moment to memory, but it just wasn't enough. He just wanted a day, even just half a day to spend uninterrupted. Was that too much to ask? 

Yeonjun was relieved when he felt he phone go off half-way through his class. He had been trying his best not to dose off, so anything to keep him awake right now was welcome. He opened his phone to a newly created group-chat which Taehyun seemed to be using to coordinate a small birthday celebration for Beomgyu. Yeonjun sent off a quick message “Didn't he say he had to focus on his classes and that he didn't want to do anything?”  
Yeonjun had of course gotten him a present, but was planning on respecting his request and allowing him to focus on course-work.  
“Hyung, what's wrong with you?” was Taehyun's almost immediate response. “This is BEOMGYU we're talking about. He would do anything to make sure everyone else had a proper birthday, you think I'm just going to let his slide? He deserves to have a nice time. You don't have a choice in this. Next week. Be there.”  
And that was that Yeonjun supposed. Taehyun was right, they should celebrate Beomgyu's birthday properly. He would also get to see Soobin, so it was win-win. Another thought occurred to him. A birthday meant birthday cake, which meant a birthday wish. Maybe a little magic was what he needed right now.

~

Beomgyu had only only given one token protest to their little celebration and was practically glowing at the attention as he opened his gifts. Yeonjun's current entertainment was watching Taehyun trying to pretend he wasn't smiling every time Beomgyu looked over at him excitedly. He had originally been tasked with distracting Beomgyu while Soobin prepared the cake, but apparently sitting Taehyun across from him was all the distraction he needed.

Beomgyu danced along to his birthday song and prepared to blow out the candles. Yeonjun squeezed his shoulder in what he hopes could count as an apology, leaned over and blew them out before Beomgyu got the chance. They all laughed along but Soobin caught his eye, tilting his head curiously as thought trying to figure something out. He shrugged and smiled back. If the wish came true, maybe he'd tell.

He woke the next morning with Soobin's alarm blaring too close to his ears for comfort. “Nooo Soobinie,” and an aggressive pout was the most he could muster in his sleepy state.  
“Sorry hyung,” Soobin murmured back, opening his phone to switch off the alarm. Yeonjun was drifting off again when Soobin made a pleased noise and threw his phone to the side. “My class was cancelled, wanna sleep in? Maybe we can go out for breakfast later?”  
“Mmmm,” was all Yeonjun muttered before pulling him close and relaxing into sleep once again.

“Hyung, can I ask you something?” Soobin asked him around a mouthful of breakfast.  
“You just did,” was Yeonjun's insufferable reply. Soobin just rolled his eyes.  
“This sounds kind of dumb. But at Beomgyu's birthday...” He paused a little, as though trying to decide if he actually wanted to ask. “Did you steal his birthday wish?” Yeonjun froze, he thought it might sound a little childish if he told the truth. But then again, Soobin already knew he took the birthday wishes seriously, so he didn't really have anything to lose by answering either way.  
“Uh, yeah. I guess I did. Steal seems a little hostile though.” Soobin seemed unusually amused about this.  
“What did you wish for? It must have been pretty important for you to take someone else's wish.”  
Yeonjun sighed. He may as well tell him at this point. “You.”  
“What?”  
“I wished that I could spend more time with you.” Yeonjun paused, waiting for the inevitable bashful reply he would usually get. Instead his brows furrowed at the loud, cackling laughter he got in response. “Hey! It's not funny. Why are you laughing?”  
“No way! I can't believe this. This is definitely funny!” Yeonjun's pout was getting pointier by the second. “No, no hyung! I'm not laughing at you, I promise. It's just that the birthday wish success rate has been consistently high.” What did that mean? Does he know what Yeonjun wished for on his birthday? Yeonjun could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment.  
“I have a confession to make.” Oh? Yeonjun's eyebrows shot up at this. “On my birthday I made a wish that came true. And at Taehyun's birthday, I stole his wish and that came true too.” Soobin was still giggling, and Yeonjun could sense where this was going.  
“Oh yeah? What did you wish for?”  
“You,” This had Soobin off laughing again, unable to take the cheesy line seriously. Yeonjun found himself looking down, feeling a little shy at this. The fact that Soobin had wanted this so much he wished for it, that Soobin wanted this as much as him, stirred up the butterflies that had taken residence in his stomach. Yeonjun found himself laughing along with his boyfriend, unsure if it was the absurdity of it all, or just Soobin's infectious laughter.  
“Soobinie” He looked up across the table, into Soobin's laughing eyes “You don't need to steal wishes for me any more okay? You have me for always now.”  
“You too Yeonjun-ah. You have me for always too.”


End file.
